Jitters

By Chris Harmon

From a scary board game to an evil robot costume to a creepy ice sculpture. Read this terrifying collection of horror for the ultimate fright

• Language: English
• Publisher: Chris Harmon
• Release date: Jul 24, 2023
• ISBN: 9798218082055

Chris Harmon

Chris Harmon was born in Southfield, Michigan. He loves to write horror stories. He’s been writing since he was eight. Check out more from this young author.

Book preview

cover.jpg

Copyright © 2022 Chris Harmon

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic—without written permission of both publisher and author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

To my Mom, Chloe,

and those who stuck with me

Contents

THE UNWANTED GUEST

NEW TEACHER

THE WITCH’S SPELL

THE ABANDONED HOUSE

THE VERY SCARY GAME

DOLLFACE

ALIENS IN MY BACKYARD

ATTACK OF THE ROBOT COSTUME

WEEKEND AT GREEN LAKE

THE WISHING STICK

BACK TO 1942

DON’T BREAK THE ICE...

GRANNY’S LITTLE BABY

HAUNTED HOUSE VIDEO

THE STRANGE SCHOOL

THE UNWANTED GUEST

Grace and Justin Knotz watched the movie silently. In the film, Alice ran in the woods, holding a baseball bat in her hand. She came into a clearing in the woods. As the darkness and the trees surrounded her, her big brown eyes bulged in fear. She was drenched in perspiration. Her straight brown hair blew in the wind. From behind, she could hear his pounding footsteps fast approaching. Crazy Eyes was coming.

He was going to kill her next. Alice ran from the clearing and into the trees, hands trembling, almost causing her to drop the bat. She sprinted viciously, her sneakers pounded on the ground. Then, in the middle of the woods, she stopped. Alice breathed heavily, trying to catch her breath. She wasn’t exactly in the best shape.

I gotta get out of here, Alice muttered, I think I’m losing him.

Oh, but she was wrong. From behind, she heard stomping footsteps fast approaching. Before she could run away or move or do anything, Crazy Eyes emerged from the shadows. He was about eight feet tall, almost as tall as the trees. His abnormally large height made Alice’s surroundings even darker. She could only see his unusual eyes, one orange, and one red. Peculiar for a human. They glowed like high beams. Moonlight reflected off his dirty face as he bent down and stared at Alice.

Ya wanna die, Alice? he asked. Crazy Eyes lumbered closer and held up a large dagger. His eyes were so blazing, Alice shielded away from the brightness. Crazy Eyes pressed the blade against her face. I’m gonna slice you up.

No! Alice yelled.

Crazy Eyes’ smile faded and turned into an evil grimace. Alice had to act fast, or else she was going to die. Instantly, Alice swung the baseball bat and hit him in the stomach.

Ooh, Crazy Eyes uttered as he fell to the ground. He had his hand over his stomach. Shit.

Alice began hitting and hitting Crazy Eyes with the baseball bat in the face repeatedly. Blood trickled from his nose. CLICK.

Hey! Justin Knotz cried. Why’d you do that?

I told you two, no more horror movies, Mrs. Knotz said as she ejected the CD out of the DVD player.

But we were at the best part, Justin pouted as he tore his jet-black hair. He gave Mrs. Knotz a dirty look.

No more, like I said, Mrs. Knotz put the movie back on top of the stack of horror movies underneath the TV. Then, she walked briskly out of the room. She turned back around and said, If I catch you two again, you’re going to be in serious trouble.

Fine, take them. You caught us. It won’t happen again. Grace Knotz said. Mrs. Knotz disappeared down the hallway.

"Ugh, she took away Killer in the Woods," Justin groaned. Killer in the Woods was the kids’ favorite horror movie. A man broke into a cabin in the woods and killed a group of defenseless teenagers. Grace and Justin had seen it over a hundred times. Their parents banned them from watching horror movies in the house. They were angry about this news. At least, Justin was. It happened two days ago.

Horror movies are rubbish, Mrs. Knotz had said when they were eating breakfast one day.

They’re rotting your minds, Mr. Knotz added.

But they help us become well-adjusted human beings when we get older. They’ll make us stronger and more self-aware. That’s what my friend told me., Justin protested. Grace didn’t say anything. She just ate her breakfast.

Our parents still have the most power over us. We can’t do anything about it, Justin. Just give it up. Give all of it up. Grace thought.

But their parents ignored Justin’s argument and went back to eating.

Their parents still kept the horror movies in the guest bedroom for some reason. The kids couldn’t live without those horror movies and missed a lot of new ones that came out. Grace started to scan through the other stack of DVDs under the TV. They were all boring and lame.

How are we supposed to live without them, Justin asked. Justin grabbed the TV remote and threw it across the room in frustration. It hit the wall so hard that a crack formed in it.

Oh no. Justin is angry. I can’t stand to see him like this. Things always got terrible when he was angry. Two summers ago, She and Justin, along with their parents, went to the amusement park. Justin ended up having a meltdown because he wasn’t tall enough to ride on a big roller coaster.

He was mad for the entire day. He refused to speak to his family. After that, they got ice cream, and Justin dropped his cone. He was furious that he tackled some random middle-aged lady in the ice cream line. Park security had to come and get him off of her. The whole family was banned from the amusement park after that. That was two years ago when he was twelve. Now, Justin was fourteen, and his anger issues were growing worse. Their parents always paid most attention to him, while Grace barely got any of their attention.

J-j-Justin, p-please calm down. Grace stuttered as she put her hands over her face, trying to protect it. She knew that the punches were coming. Her brown eyes began to water.

I’m not gonna calm down! I’m fucking livid right now! Justin shouted as he broke from her grip. He cracked his knuckles, and his face grew tomato red. Justin began to make weird grunting noises. In one sudden motion, he slapped Grace in the face.

Ow! Stop! Please!

Justin slapped her again, harder this time.

S-stop, y-you’re hurting...m-me, Grace said. She dropped herself to the ground and burst into tears.

Bitch., Justin muttered.

Mr. and Mrs. Knotz stormed into the room with concerned expressions. What’s going on in here? Mrs. Knotz asked. She saw Grace on the floor, crying. Grace, what’s the matter?

Grace lifted her head up. She saw Justin mouth to her, You better not tell.

Umm...err...I, she whimpered.

There’s a bruise on your face. Go downstairs and put some ice on it. Grace stood and walked out of the room. Mr. and Mrs and Knotz followed her out of the room and went separate ways. She went to the kitchen and took a block of ice out of the freezer.

Grace knew that she had to listen to Justin. If she tattled on him… well… she would’ve been in a body bag. Grace adjusted her pink beanie over her short brown hair. She needed a beanie on all the time, even indoors. One time, Justin had cut out a couple strands of her hair. This scared Grace so much that she always wore a stylish beanie at all times. She went back upstairs to the guest bedroom, where Justin sat on the bed.

Why...did...you slap me? Grace quivered.

Cause, you deserved it.

J-Justin—

Well, Why’d Mom have to fucking ban the thing we love?

D-d-don’t worry, w-w-we’ll finish the movie.

When? Justin growled; his brown eyes were ablaze in anger.

Uh..er...soon. That was all Grace could say. She didn’t know when. She also didn’t realize that they would soon be in a horror movie of their own. Grace went back to her room. She had a neatly made queen-sized bed and bedside table with a pink lamp and alarm clock. She had a desk with another lamp in the corner of the room. There was another desk area with a vanity mirror where she did her hair. She looked in it to check out the new damage Justin inflicted. Her mother was right. There was a big pink bruise on her face. She still had the scab on her bottom lip from when he scratched her with his long fingernails one time.

Grace started crying. She put her hands in her face and continued to wail. She couldn’t show or tell her parents or anyone about her scars. That’s why she had to wear long sleeves. Other people thought she was a klutz. She was a punching bag. Still crying, Grace got up from the desk and laid down on the carpet.

* * *

A few hours later, Justin and Grace were downstairs, watching television. Grace flipped through the channels to see what was on. Their parents came downstairs, elegantly attired. Mrs. Knotz muted the TV.

Your father and I are about to go out on our first date in forever, she said, smiling and clutching her purse. Grace is in charge,

How come she gets to be in charge?

She’s more mature than you, Mr. Knotz said, narrowing his eyes at him.

But how come--

Mr. Knotz held up a fist which made Justin shut up. He gulped loudly and stared at the TV.

Carl, we have to get going. Our reservations are at nine. Mrs. Knotz pushed him towards the door. See ya kids, don’t burn down the house. They hurried out the front door. Grace looked out the window as the car sped out of the driveway onto the street.

Are they gone, Justin asked.

She nodded.

I’m gonna get the horror movies, Justin sprinted upstairs and returned minutes later.

"Let’s watch Nightmare Troubles," Grace said, grabbing it from the top of the stack.

"Wait, let’s finish Killer in the Woods," Justin insisted. He took that movie from the stack. Quickly, Grace shoved Nightmare Troubles into the DVD player.

Move out the fucking way, Justin grunted. He tried to shove Grace away from the CD player, but she resisted.

Stop, you’re hurting me! Grace shouted. Justin snatched the DVD out of Grace’s hand and pushed her to the floor. He towered over Grace, red-faced. Tears were falling down his face, and his fists were clenched. Justin bared his teeth, revealing his shiny pearly whites. He cracked his knuckles.

I’m telling Mom that you pushed me, you stupid fat fuck! he sobbed. I fucking hate you! I hate you so fuckin much!

C-c-calm d-d-down Justin. Grace pleaded, Please, we can— They were interrupted by a frantic knock on the door. Both kids stood still, staring at the wooden door, surprised that someone was there.

It can’t be Mom and Dad. They would use their key to get in. Grace thought. Their parents always told them that if someone was at the door… don’t answer it. But what if it could be someone we know? Grandma? Aunt Beatrice? Who? She thought. They could be visiting. The loud knocks continued, breaking through Grace’s thoughts.

Quietly, She tiptoed up to the door and looked through the peephole. Grace gasped at who she saw. It was not one of their family members but a tall man.

Open up, the man rasped, I brought the package, he announced as if he were talking to someone inside. It was hard to tell whether the man was young or old. He had a young face with near-perfect skin with just a few blackheads. Yet his voice sounded old. The man could’ve been twenty or seventy. The man had pea-green eyes that seemed so… angry. As if he wanted to harm whoever was inside.

A shiver of fear swept over Grace, making her not open the door. She felt something wasn’t right. The man continued to bang on the door harder than before.

Who is it? Justin asked.

It’s a man,

Justin looked through the peephole.

There’s no one fucking there,

What? Grace shoved Justin away from the peephole. Sure enough, the man was gone. He must know our parents, Grace concluded. The man had to have left when he realized no one had answered the door. She and Justin went back to the living room and sat down on the couch. Grace was about to turn on the movie when they heard a loud crash coming from the kitchen.

The kids jumped up from the couch in surprise. He was breaking into the house—ready to kill them. In a panic, the kids ran upstairs into Grace’s bedroom. Justin slammed the door shut. There were no locks on any of the bedroom doors. Grace pressed up against the door.

Call the damn cops," she instructed.

Justin grabbed her phone and began to dial frantically. Grace could hear hard footsteps going back and forth from the kitchen to the living room from downstairs. She heard kitchen items fall on the floor, the furniture being moved, and the sound of glass breaking. Tears ran down Grace’s cheeks. They were going to die young. She knew he was going to come up and kill them.

Police said, thirty minutes, Justin said breathlessly. They sat there for a couple more minutes but all was quiet downstairs now. Grace could hear a pin drop down there.

Where is he? Why hasn’t he come to kill us? Grace had to know where he was. Quietly, she opened the door a smidge and peered out into the hallway. She heard heavy footsteps running up the stairs; when she saw the man come up the stairs, Grace let out a choked cry. The man moved around the hall, breathing heavily.

Please don’t see me. Please don’t, Grace whispered to herself.

Finally, the man sprinted down the hall to her parent’s bedroom and slung the door open. He went inside and left the door slightly ajar. Grace shut the door and stuck her back inside the room to report, He’s in Mom and Dad’s room.

Out the window, Justin whispered, pointing across the room.

Grace narrowed his eyes at him. That won’t work. What if we break an ankle or something?

No, we won’t! Let’s just do what I say!

Shhhh. He’ll hear you.

I don’t care! I hope he kills you! I’m going out the window!

Grace couldn’t take it anymore. Thoughts clouded into her head, interrupting what Justin was screaming about. Out the window… What a terrible idea...too high up. We’ll break our ankles, and by the time the police arrive, the man would’ve already killed us. Justin is crazy. Enough of him. Tired of him pushing me around. I’m taking charge.

What could they do, though? They were just teens. Then, something hit her like a tidal wave. A swell of realization, Psycho Killer. The girl defended herself against a man who was trying to kill her. Grace knew what to do. Like the girl in the movie, like the people in all of the horror movies they watched. They needed to kill that man.

"J-Justin, we have to kill him," Grace said.

Are you crazy? What if he has a gun or a knife or something? We’ll never kill him.

Going out the window isn’t gonna work. This is our only choice. We’ve watched plenty of horror movies. The main leads always survive because they defend themselves. We have to do that!

But we’re gonna die. We have no weapons!

We gotta find some. There has to be some in this room.

Justin stared at her for the longest time. Yeah, let’s do it, he finally agreed.

Awesome.

Quickly, they began to search the room for something to use to defend themselves. We could use the lamps, said Justin. He held up Grace’s bedside table and desk lamps. Grace grabbed the desk lamp.

We gotta be quiet, she whispered. Slowly, they walked into the hallway. Grace saw their parents’ bedroom was left wide open. The room was ransacked. She heard soft, shuffling noises and noticed the light was on in Justin’s room. It was trashed. His mattress on the floor, clothes everywhere, his books thrown off of his bookshelf, and broken school certificates had been knocked off of his wall. The thief smashed Justin’s piggy bank, and all of the coins and dollar bills fell to the floor. He bent down to pick up the money with his back to Grace and Justin.

At that moment, Grace started to get second thoughts. What if this doesn’t work? What if he is armed and has a gun or a knife or something? This is such a stupid idea. She inhaled softly and then exhaled.

We can do this. If we die, we die. It’s over.

Come on, Grace whispered. Quietly, they tiptoed into the room, holding their lamps in a